﻿educate yourself, save others.﻿

Splash! Freezing cold water soaks you. Yes, I'm talking about the ALS ice bucket challenge that is trending all over social media right now. The idea is that people challenge their friends, who then have to either donate to the ALS Association, or douse themselves in a bucket of ice water.

Many people have also begun doing the challenge, even if they don't donate, because it’s fun. The challenge idea is brilliant because it raises awareness, makes people want to raise awareness because it is fun, and brings in donations.

ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, which progressively leads to loss of muscle control and eventually to paralysis. This is especially concerning when it reaches the upper spinal cord, as it can cause breathing problems. Eventually, the degenerating of the neurons leads to death. There is no cure for ALS, but doctors can try to slow it down. The ALS Association is researching ALS to develop treatments for it.

One promising treatment for ALS is cellular therapy that involves transplanting stem cells or stimulating resident stem cells. This is an exciting breakthrough because it has the potential to possibly slow or stop the onset of ALS. The research that the ALS Association is doing is groundbreaking and wonderful.

Stem Cell Research

Unfortunately, we need to be careful about where our money goes. The ALS Association is researching with adult stem cells from bone marrow, but they are also researching with embryonic stem cells. This means that stem cells taken from embryos in the earliest stage of life. The ALS website acknowledges that not everyone supports embryonic stem cell research. They state their view on the website that, “Adult stem cell research is important and should be done alongside embryonic stem cell research as both will provide valuable insights. Only through exploration of all types of stem cell research will scientists find the most efficient and effective ways to treat diseases.” A NEALS-affliated active trial on their website also clearly states it uses stem cells that originated from an electively aborted fetus. Obviously this is not okay okay for pro-lifers.

The good news is that currently, the ALS Association is funding only one study using embryonic stem cells, and it is in its final stages. Most of their research is completely ethical. Hopefully, they will continue to pursue the more ethical approach of using adult stem cells in the future. In the meantime, feel free to participate in the ice bucket challenge and raise awareness for ALS; however, think about donating to a different organization. A safe alternative would be the John Paul II Medical Research Institute, which is dedicated to ethical research. Another alternative could be Team Gleason, which does not conduct research, but rather is dedicated to serving actual patients and raising awareness. Of course, you can also donate to a charity that is unrelated to ALS as well.

Nonetheless, keep doing the Ice Bucket Challenge! It is spreading awareness for a disease that many did not know about until recently and is showing support for all those suffering from it.